Breakthrough from “green” tourism products

Among them, the tourism model combining tea culture experience and railway journey stands out. This is not only a unique feature that contributes to positioning the local tourism brand, but also opens up a direction for sustainable development in the future.

Tourists experience the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen tourist train. Photo: Lan Huong

Exploiting unique sources of “green gold”

Known as the “tea capital” of Vietnam, Thai Nguyen province owns more than 22,000 hectares of tea, with total revenue from tea reaching more than 13,000 billion VND (in 2024). Not only is it a key economic product, tea is also the cultural soul of Thai Nguyen.

In tea regions such as Tan Cuong and La Bang, many cooperatives and households have developed community tourism models that combine sightseeing, tea picking, processing and tasting. The vast green tea hills and traditional tea-tasting spaces have left an unforgettable impression on visitors.

Sharing about the tourism potential associated with tea culture, Vice President of Thai Nguyen Tourism Association Tran Nu Ngoc Anh said: “One of the highlights of Thai Nguyen is the tea tourism ecosystem that has been systematically and creatively invested. The province currently has four famous tea regions known as the “Four Great Teas” including: Tan Cuong, La Bang, Trai Cai and Phu Luong. Our goal is to build specialized tours so that visitors can travel through all four tea regions and feel the differences of each raw material region. In addition, in December 2024, Thai Nguyen announced a list of 153 tea-related dishes. This is the foundation for building a culinary space of the land of tea with diverse dishes associated with tea, forming a complete menu”.

In addition to developing local products, connecting and bringing tourists to Thai Nguyen is also being promoted. According to Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways Corporation Nguyen Chinh Nam, the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen railway line plays a very important role in connecting the region and developing experiential tourism associated with tea culture. "We are coordinating with the province to restore the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen passenger train line, aiming to develop special tours such as the "Tea Ceremony" train, the train route to visit tea villages..." - Mr. Nam emphasized.

Accordingly, tourists departing from Hanoi station can easily reach Luu Xa station (Thai Nguyen) and quickly connect to tourist destinations such as Tan Cuong tea region, Nui Coc lake, ATK Dinh Hoa relic site... This is a great opportunity to develop sustainable tourism associated with tea culture.

Untie the "knot" to "take off"

Although considered a potential direction, tourism products associated with tea culture and Thai Nguyen railways are currently facing some limitations such as the trains are still in the experimental stage, isolated and not connected with travel businesses. There are not many well-organized tours, there is a lack of attractive stops, and the train travel experience has not left a deep impression on tourists.

According to Vice President of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club Pham Tien Dung, to overcome the above situation, Thai Nguyen needs to focus on improving tea products, combining eco-tourism and indigenous culture. Thai Nguyen tea is not only an agricultural product but can become a unique tourism story, attracting international visitors, especially foreign experts working in the locality. "For train tourism products in particular, organizing regular trains is very difficult without support from the province. Therefore, the feasible solution is to charter the entire trip and businesses must cooperate to organize, share costs, and create professional products together" - Mr. Dung emphasized.

From a management perspective, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Nguyen Le Ngoc Linh said that the province is actively coordinating with the Vietnam Railway Corporation to assess the potential of the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen route. A number of pilot programs have been organized for business delegations and students and have initially shown positive signs. "We are building tourism products linked along the railway line, aiming for a diverse chain of experiences, creating conditions for trains to become a familiar means of transport for tourists to Thai Nguyen" - Mr. Linh said.

At the same time, the province also promotes tea culture on the railway line in many forms such as multimedia communication on the train, introducing OCOP products at stations, decorating the train with the theme of tea culture, planning the landscape along the line with typical tea landscape areas...

According to Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways Corporation Nguyen Chinh Nam, the Railway sector has proactively upgraded vehicles, renovated French-style stations, improved restrooms and signed a cooperation agreement with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to develop specialized trains serving tourism. Accordingly, the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen train will be designed with community cars bearing the imprint of tea culture, with live music, bars, and displays of local products to serve tourists. In addition, the Railway sector will develop a project to renovate the station, focusing on Cao Son station - where there are small tea hills, tea spaces and tea ceremony performances to create an attractive destination on the journey.

Aiming to welcome 6 million visitors by 2025, Thai Nguyen is determined to build a unique tourism product, taking indigenous culture as the foundation, connecting traditional means and modern trends. On that journey, the tea-filled trains not only bring tourists to Thai Nguyen but also bring tea culture closer to friends from all over the world.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/du-lich-tau-hoa-den-xu-tra-dot-pha-tu-san-pham-du-lich-xanh-698795.html